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Brisbane Set to Rock in 2011

Queenslands’ capital city goes by the nickname BrisVegas for a very good reason.

In 2011, Brisbane is set to rock all year long with a stellar line up of international artists and theatre productions that one would normally associate with the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas.

2010 will end on a high note with Linkin Park, Stereosonic, Gorillaz, Muse, U2, Blondie & The Pretenders, Human Nature, Jack Johnson, The Eagles and Bon Jovi all set to light up the stage during December. Queenslanders then will have very little time to let their Christmas lunch digest before they will be enticed to get up and party once more at the Woodford Folk Festival held over New Years.

If you are looking for something a little more energetic then Tommy & Phil Emmanuel performs at The Tivoli as part of their 50th Anniversary Tour, or you can rock out to Tool, Joe Cocker, Sting, Soundwave, Sunset Sounds music festival, Raggamuffin, Future Music Festival, Roxy Music and The Chemical Brothers all before the first games kicks off for the new NRL season. Then things really start to heat up with Beyond the Darkside, Usher and his OMG Tour, Good Charlotte, The Script, Disturbed, Maroon 5, Katy Perry California Dreams Tour and BIGSOUND 2011 which returns to Brisbane after a record breaking year in 2010.

For those of you who like a little more laid back entertainment then 2011 is also your year. You will be able to sing along with the Kenny Rogers and Neil Diamond, feel the love with Michael Buble or enjoy some good old fashion country music with US country music legend Alan Jackson.

2011 also brings a host of major stage and theatrical productions to Brisbane. January kicks off with the international stage sensation WICKED, which has played to sell-out theatres around the world. This magical production is set to wow audiences up until April. This is followed by the Brisbane Comedy Festival, World Theatre Festival, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and a return by the ever popular and ever spectacular Andre Rieu.

And to cap things off there are two exciting productions for the kids. The time-honoured stories of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast will spring from the storybooks and onto the stage in Disney Live! Mickey and his friends will journey through ‘happily ever after’ and discover the classic stories of three celebrated Disney Princesses.

Since 2007, Australia’s own WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – THE ARENA SPECTACULAR has been on a record-breaking world tour, where the production has played to 6.5 million people and taken over $350 million at the box office. Now the DINOSAURS are back and ready to thrill Brisbane audiences once again.

According to Mr. Graham Marks, Property Manager of Metro Hotel Towermill in Brisbane, this exciting list of events is not uncommon for Brisbane.

“Unfortunately, many people, especially from interstate, have the impression that Brisbane is a very laid back place where not much happens except for the sun and the beautiful beaches found on the Gold and Sunshine Coast,: explained Mr Marks.

“We are certainly laid back but Brisbane is far from being boring. The city is always buzzing with something going on.” He adds.

These events also contribute greatly to the local economy, in particular the hospitality sector. In fact a new term – Event Stays – has be coined by the industry for people who book a concert, theatre production, arena show, sports event or other such activity and then decide to make an event out of it by booking a hotel room for the night, organising dinner and maybe even doing a spot of shopping. This is certainly the experience according to Mr. Marks. “Because of our location and easy access to not only the CBD but also all major venues, we get a lot of bookings from people coming to these events,” he said.